Hello !
        I am a beekeeper in Belgium, french speaking ! My english is very
poor ... excuse me !  I often have to resolve the problem of moving hives in
my apiaries.  It was always a bad thing to do even moving at night, even for
50 cm, even with branches.  A lot of bees flies exactly as the hive place
don't have change ...  usually they go over and make a detour.  I think that
when a bee makes his first orientation fly, it creates his own flying way to
come back to hive place.  If you change this place, even a little, the bee
don't change its flying way but after its mistake.  I think that change the
entrance orientation is more efficient to avoid bees lost.  If you do it,
you will see the bees coming out to hesitate before .. to make a new
orientation fly.  Maybe, their compass was out of order ?
        Practically, the best way is to do as Philip : to move hive for a few
(3-4) km.  After 10-15 days in summer (a more long time in winter) you could
put it at its new place.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Jean-Marie Van Dyck                    Medical School - Biochemistry dept
 B.P. 102                               Fax +32 81 72 42 72
 B-5000     NAMUR(Belgium)              email : [log in to unmask]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------